OWA Opposes Measure 97

OWA Opposes Measure 97

Oregon Women for Agriculture opposes any additional taxes that would be burdensome to business owners, farmers, ranchers and the citizen of the state.

Measure 97 has been billed as a way to make out of state businesses pay their fair share. However, that is not the case. It will affect many Oregon businesses, and ultimately all the residents of the State.

It will affect family farms who buy their fertilizer, fuel and other inputs from local companies like Wilco and Coastal Farms.

A study by the nonpartisan Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) concluded that most of this tax on sales would end up being paid by Oregon consumers through higher prices on nearly everything we buy – including gasoline, utilities, clothing, medicine, and even food – costing the average Oregon household over $600 every year.

This measure’s $6 billion tax increase on companies’ sales in Oregon would badly damage our state’s economy and job market. In fact, the in-depth LRO study concluded that this giant tax increase would result in over 38,000 lost private sector jobs in Oregon.

Because this would be a new tax on gross sales – not profits – businesses would be required to pay the tax on their total revenues, regardless of whether they make a large profit, a small profit, or no profit at all. That would mean many employers would have to raise prices or cut jobs, or both.